Police Complaint Against Comedian Vir Das Over His Video on 2 Indias
Image Courtesy: The Financial Express
A complaint has been filed against comedian Vir Das at Tilak Marg Police Station for allegedly using derogatory language against India in a video posted on Monday, November 15. No FIR has been registered yet.
The video titled 'I come from two Indias' had gone viral in a matter of hours online and featured Das talking about 'two Indias' in a six-minute monologue after a comedy event at John F Kennedy Center in Washington DC. In the monologue, Das talks about the duality of the nation and highlights some of the most topical issues that India is currently facing.
These issues include the country's fight against COVID-19, the controversy over PM CARES Fund, the Farmers' movement against the three farm bills, violence against women, etc.
Since Monday, the video has been shared by a host of users, highlighting Das's clever choice of words to highlight the apparent differences and contests between the two visions of India. A short clip of the video with Das talking about the irony between worshipping women as goddesses and the stark reality of violence against women has been shared online by right-wing accounts.
Das's comments in that clip invited sharp reactions and rebuttal from many pro-government people, including Kangana Ranaut. "When you generalise all Indian men as gang-rapists it gives rise and encouragement to racism and bullying against Indians all over the world," Ranaut had posted.
Das reacted to this controversy over his comments and clarified what he intended to do using the video.
"There has been a sizeable reaction to a video I posted on YouTube. The video is a satire about the duality of two very separate India's that do different things. Like any nation has a light and dark, good and evil within it. None of this is a secret," Das wrote.
"The video appeals for us to never forget that we are great. To never stop focusing on what makes us great. It ends in a gigantic patriotic round of applause for the country we all love, believe in and are proud of. That there is more to our country than the headlines, a deep beauty. That's the point of the video and the reason for the applause," he further said.
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